


Entangled

by Wolfgirljas



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gore, Illustrated, Illustrations, M/M, Multi, Ninja, Other, Puppeteer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:27:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25999000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfgirljas/pseuds/Wolfgirljas
Summary: The need to find a purpose in life is one factor that binds human beings together. Similar purposes often lead seemingly unconnected paths together into a delicate dance. When a puppeteer, often called Aka, started down their path, it seemed to be the only one in the world that had no winds, no curve, no partner. It was simple and...Secure. Well, good things only last so long.This is a Naruto Fan-fiction based off of one of my own character, I have illustrated all the chapters and the cover! I would be very happy for anyone to read it, this story will most definitely have gore as well as sex and some drug use, it is recommended for mature audiences only! Thank you.Theres also a character playlist if you're interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v6VcjzIUY8&list=PLdSGLS__ujFMA_pL0_gDvw-2PctYRMOr_
Relationships: Others to be revealed - Relationship, Sasori (Naruto)/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	1. DAWN

CHAPTER ONE: DAWN

Drip.....drip....drip...the soft pitter patter of rain against the lush green foliage is not lost on the man sitting under the large oak, but, his outward expression would tell any passing stranger a completely different tale. Large broad shoulders slumped back on the damp bark, droplets from the rain spilled over unkempt hair whose color resembled a strawberry left out in the sunshine. Drip...drip...drip.. Even his eyes, unmoving, unseeing lay hidden beneath black fabric fastened tightly to the broad man’s head. To any passing stranger, the man might have appeared...well, dead. That is, If it weren't for the soft rise and fall of his immense chest.

His chest Seemed to shift unnaturally, and all of a sudden, the seemingly dead man was alive once more, the steady drops of rain dripping from his face fell down his frame several feet until it reached the cold ground. Wordlessly, the being Ascended into the trees above, setting off once more. No longer were the droplets of rain sweetly caressing his icy face, rather, they were walloping into his massive physique. This, however, didn't seem to slow him at all. 

The dead man continued on silently with his travels, facing the rain dead on. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ninja Sandals gracefully caught the sodden wood of a maple tree. Icy hands delicately touched a brilliant red leaf, despite being unable to look directly at the leaf, The Dead Man seemed to be staring at it for a time. Against the heavy rainfall, a soft voice chimed, like that of a Suzu bell. “While you bloom the fastest, it will most certainly cause you a troublesome winter.” His feminine voice spoke empty words to an audience of none. 

The Dead Man straightened and finally turned his attention to his purpose. A tiered building which seemed to be guarded by several “sturdy” body guards. For a moment he thought to himself, just how boring this would all be, then, he remembered something that made his insides squirm with excitement. “New parts.” He easily Leaped from the maple onto the lowest level of the roof of the palace. The Dead Man slid a Kunai calmly from his weapon pouch into his hand. Despite the excitement rising into his chest, his hands only seemed to grow more still as he descended onto the two men. 

The Dead Man latched onto the first bodyguard from behind, fluidly dragging the Kunai across his tan skin. Crimson liquid trickled down his hand, making his heart want to leap into his throat. He rewarded the second’s patience with a quick flick of his finger. A senbon slid from his fingertip into the other man’s eye socket, leaving a much less-satisfying trail of blood as the man fell heavily onto the cement below. The Dead Man Silently pulled open a scroll and with a puff of snow white plume, the bodies of the two men had disappeared, the only remains left behind: the crimson liquid coating The Dead Man’s shoes, pooling on the pavement. Satisfied with his new playthings, The Dead Man continued on, gliding into the palace, where his next Victim lay, fast asleep.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

The faint glow of impending dawn drifted over the sleeping figure of the lithe woman, a target highly sought after, and well paid. Well, that wasn’t exactly his only reasoning for doing assassinations like this... though if he stared at her any longer he would likely run out of time. 

The Dead Man ripped the plush comforter off of the woman, who in turn, gave a shrill scream. The woman pushed back against the headboard of her gaudy bed, looking at The Dead Man incredulously “Wh-what do you want!!?” Tears welled up in her black eyes, no longer heavy with sleep. The Dead Man looked at the woman without so much as a hint of emotion on his icy face. “Isn’t it obvious?” His cheerful tone betrayed his unchanging face. He took a step forward, a thrill tingling up the base of his spine all the way up his back as he dipped down to look at the woman on her bed. “I’m going to kill you, gut you, and send your _New_ body to your rival.” He hummed sweetly. The Woman shrieked and fumbled out of the bed, desperate for escape, to no avail. 

Merciless, Malevolent, devoid of a human soul. These are just a few of the words used often to describe The Dead Man. He is known as someone who will do whatever he needs to in order to achieve his goals, Anyone who has seen him in action, promptly would wish that they hadn't. Even now, over the sound of ripping flesh and bone, bending under the will of his saw and scalpel... He could not be happier. Perhaps his vicious nature is what earned him his nickname, simple but formidable. Through the Five Great Nations, He is known Simply as **Aka** , and sometimes, to fools who didn't know any better, Red.

\-------------------------------------------

CHAPTER END: DAWN


	2. OBJECTIVE

CHAPTER TWO: OBJECTIVE

‘Fools....the Lot of them. Always in his way. Always being so loud. They speak as though they actually have something to say that isn't incompetent.’ Aka waited wordlessly at the previously arranged meeting spot, growing more and more impatient as the sun climbed into the ever changing sky. How could someone even think to waste his time in such a way.

The man in question strode confidently up the hill, his short stature and red face made it all too obvious why he was late to their rendezvous. He hurried over to Aka, muttering a quick apology. “Sorry...uh, I was caught up... do you have her head?” He smiled wickedly. Aka nodded curtly, sliding a scroll out of his pouch, different than the one he had used only a few weeks prior. This scroll was ornate, a bright red, decorated with an intricate gold design. 

As the man reached for the scroll greedily, Aka delicately pulled it away. “Ry ō First.” Aka stood still, seemingly staring despite his lack of vision. The man straightened immediately, gasping soft, seemingly finally understanding the gravity of the situation that he was in. “O-of course...sorry...” The man stuttered over his words, swallowing thickly as if he had a mouthful of honey. The round man fumbled through his robes before clumsily providing a large brown envelope. 

Aka took the envelope out of the man’s (overly sweaty) hands. Strangely, Aka pointed the envelope towards his torso. He opened it and left it for a few moments. Aka folded the envelope with his long fingers before sliding it into the pouch resting on his backside. Aka held the crimson scroll out to the man and he quickly took it, he looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but here. Without another word, Aka turned on his heel and strode away. 

‘Another successful mission, one of hundreds, insignificant like most things that are done in this world. Time to repeat the cycle.’ Aka thought to himself as he started up into the trees once more, the trees somehow seemed comfortable, he always knew what was happening when he was running in the trees, he felt truly at peace among the lush green leaves, he felt hidden, secure. In a strange way he felt more comfortable up here alone in the trees than down on the ground with other people, ‘but... that really doesn't matter, the only thing that really matters is the mission.’

Aka promptly slid down once again from his leafy haven back into the world of the Living. The long dirt road lay unsettled by the feet of the many nin traveling through it. It was lined with a wooden fence that had many broken posts. Seemingly without care, Aka strode down the dirt road until he reached a fallen fence post. Inscribed on the post was a faint red sy mbol ‘赤’ it looked worn down, like it had been fighting the elements for many long years. Aka crouched in front of the post and lightly slid his fingers down until he found a small break in the wood. 

Carefully, he opened the small compartment to retrieve the item inside. A small black scroll sat patiently inside the compartment, awaiting the moment it would finally be opened, which, judging by the wear on the paper, was at least a few weeks. ‘Perfect, another bounty in the Land of Fire... Should be easy enough, and I’m already close.’ Aka hummed in satisfaction as he slid the scroll into his pouch. ‘Then I should head towards home so that my new materials don’t go to complete waste... though I would also like to get more...such a conundrum, though I suppose it can’t be helped.’ A very soft sigh came from his chest as he stood, starting off on his new objective. ‘Kakashi Hatake, I hope you make the best of your final days.’

‘The gates of The Leaf, so large, and open...truly a monument to their ignorance.’ Aka easily slid past the gate guards, who were busy talking to a squad preparing to head out of the village. ‘I do admire their architecture though,’ A very soft hum resonated from inside of his chest. ‘I guess I should eat something before going after the bounty.’ Aka’s waxen skin glistened under the bright sun as he navigated through the busy streets that were bustling with merchants selling their wares, and shouting about unimportant discounts. Among the merchants were also many civilians and shinobi: grocery shopping, gossiping, arguing, doing things that seemed natural to them, but deeply unsettled the broad corpse to his core.

‘This is so chaotic, these people are so....close; Friendly?’ Aka quickly slunk into a nearby shop, eager to get off of the street where strangers glanced at him so often and without shame. It was no sooner than sitting down did he notice a pink-haired girl enter the small tea shop, walking briskly over to him, seemingly on a mission to find something. The first thing he noted about the girl was her short hair, the second was her forehead protector and the ninja pouch strapped to her right thigh. ‘A kunoichi...’ She found what she was looking for rather quickly, padding over to the exact table Aka was sitting at. ‘Great....what does she want?’ A soft huff made Aka’s chest rise and fall. He made no mistake of acknowledging her, but it didn't seem to dissuade the girl from boldly sliding into the seat in front of him. 

The girl smiled, but Aka didn't return the kindness. “What’s someone handsome like you doing sitting here all alone?” The girl rested her head on a wrist casually, like she was conversing with a good friend, finding no reason to be on edge with the strange man. Aka’s feminine voice spoke hoarsely “Does that really concern you?” His face remained emotionless as he spoke. 

“Well, considering I haven’t seen you around the village..” She trailed off, undeterred by Aka’s blatant disinterest.

“I am a traveler.”

“Have you been to the Leaf before?” 

“Yes.”

“Then you should know that travelers are supposed to report directly to the Hokage upon entering and leaving the village for whatever reason they are visiting.” the overly sweet girl stated calmly, staring down Aka, still smiling. It seemed very bitter. Aka sighed softly again, this time with an air of annoyance.

“Yes, I know that.” He paused “I was going to report there after eating.” The strange pink-haired girl seemed to not like the answer he gave, sitting upright in response. 

“Lady Tsunade doesn't like being kept waiting, you know, and either way I saw you sneaking past the guards. That’s not exactly a normal thing to do.” She stared at him, it was obvious that she had no trust towards him.

“Like I’ve said before, I've been to the leaf many times. I was just skipping a waste of my time, the village guards never do anything meaningful anyway.” His feminine voice hummed in his chest as he spoke. ‘This kunoichi is going to give me problems.’ “Well, If it really matters that much to you and the Hokage, we should waste no time.” Aka stood gracefully. “Lead the way, kunoichi.” 

“It’s Sakura.” She said flatly, head having to tilt almost all the way up to look him in the face, though strangely enough she didn't look intimidated at all. “Yes, let’s go.” She strode quickly in front of Aka and out the shop doors from which she came.

‘This is annoying, I hate Leaf shinobi, always sticking their noses into other people’s business....oh well, I guess I’ll be getting another new body to work on...though maybe I will just leave her corpse, she doesn't exactly look like anything special.’ Aka followed the girl down the dirt road, towards the Kage tower. He hummed soft as he noticed the many alleyways littering the road. “Hey Sakura, it seems that I’ve lost something, do you think we can go look for it before we go see the Hokage? It’s really important to me.” Aka spoke without much emotion, his words lingering in a strange way. 

Sakura seemed to think for a while, eyeing the man suspiciously. She didn’t trust him at all, but it might make him angry if she refused to let him search. After a moment of thinking, she decided that the best course of action was to quickly help him find it and then to bring the suspicious figure to the Hokage. Worst case she will mess him up with a good punch! CHA! “Alright, we can find it, but no funny business. Lead the way.” She put a hand on her hip.

Aka’s face remained motionless, but internally, he was smirking. ‘Almost too easy, stupid little girl.’ He nodded and led her around the streets for a few minutes, searching random locations together, before going into an alleyway. “Maybe in here?” he hummed in delight. “You look in those crates, I’ll look over here.” Aka crouched down to ‘look’ despite his apparent blindness. 

Sakura sighed, annoyed and bored by this point in the search, seriously how could this guy lose something that he cares about this much? She bent down to look in the forgotten produce crates. 

Aka stood silently and crept toward Sakura, very cautious. He flexed his hand open, the flesh on the tip of his finger was easily ripped open by a senbon, dripping with a liquid that had a purple tinge and a foul smell. In the dark of the alley, it was the only thing that was able to catch the light from above. Aka pulled his arm back in the same way someone would throw a kunai or a dart. He quickly brought his arm forward, ready to throw the senbon into the girl’s carotid, when he was interrupted by a loud voice from behind. 

“Hey Sakura!” The voice seemed cheerful, as if it didn't know Aka’s intentions. HE quickly resolved to slide the senbon back into its cavity and pretend that he wasn’t doing anything. Aka dropped his arm back to his side just as Sakura turned to look at the boy behind Aka. 

“Naruto, what do you want?” She frowned, putting both hands on her hips. Aka noticed quickly that this ‘Naruto’ was annoying to Sakura, and obviously, if he saw Aka’s movements but didn't attack, he must also be pretty stupid. Aka turned to look at the boy; he immediately regretted his actions. Naruto, while stupid and obnoxious, was really very beautiful... and his smile....it made Aka feel very strange indeed.

Naruto smiled and stepped closer to the pair. “What’re you two doing in an alley?” He glanced between the two, looking suspiciously. “Don’t tell me....YOU TWO ARENT ON A DATE ARE YOU!?” he shouted, pointing at Sakura accusingly. His face twisted into one of shock, his jaw dropping. Sakura’s face twisted from annoyance into one of disgust.

“WHAAT!? No way!! Naruto you idiot! Don't assume things!” She shouted right back at Naruto, her pale face turning red at the thought of being on a date with such a man. She slammed her fist into the top of Naruto’s head with another shout. He fell hard to the ground with a soft whimper. Aka stood patiently, his expression was unreadable, but inside he felt nothing but annoyance. The blonde boy had unwittingly saved Sakura’s life... and, judging by the boy’s forehead protector, had put Aka in a much more difficult situation, one that would be much harder to deal with... quietly.

He now had a few different options: One was to try and escape, though that would lead to a pursuit that would cause attention and more shinobi to aid the two, it was more likely that Aka would be captured than anything else. The second option was to Fight the two outright, causing a lot of attention and leading once more to his capture. No, the only option was to comply with what they want, and to try to find a way to escape from them in a more natural way. One thing is certain, he mustn't enter the Kage tower or else it was extremely likely he would be captured under the perceptive eye of the Hokage. That would mean certain death or the loss of his favorite puppet...Ak- “Hey, hellooo?” The blonde boy was now very close to Aka, too close for comfort, it was obvious he was trying to look under the blindfold covering Aka’s eyes. Aka quickly took a step back from the boy.

“Yes?” Aka’s once still body shifted, his head tilted down as if he was looking at the boy.

“I said: What are you doing in the Leaf? Sakura said you were a traveler?” He had apparently recovered quite quickly from the blow to his skull despite the quickly-forming goose egg on the top of his head. Sakura was standing closer to the mouth of the alley, arms crossed as she watched the idiot boy’s questioning.

“Just passing through.” Aka said flatly despite the flutter in his chest.

“Just passing through? I guess you must have seen all the cool stuff in the Leaf then!” Naruto smiled and put his hands behind his head casually, his big sky blue eyes glanced to the side.

“What do you mean?” Aka asked quietly, his breath caught in his throat, why was he feeling so strangely about this boy who meant absolutely nothing, a stranger. He reminded himself quickly to get it together or perish.

Naruto smiled bright “Like Ichiraku Ramen, or the Hokage mountain!” 

“I’ve seen the mountain.” Aka replied flatly.

“No, not from the ground! You haven't seen anything till you see it from the top, it’s really cool, and the view of the village! You gotta see it, I can take you!” Naruto perked right up, throwing his hands around as he talked. 

Sakura decided now was the best time to interrupt her partner “Naruto, we were busy doing something before you showed up.” She huffed.

“Oh really, digging through trash?” He said, as if he had said something clever.

“No! We were trying to find something  **He** lost. Then we were going to go see Lady Tsunade.” She crossed her arms once more. Naruto looked annoyed at her response, but didn't have much of a rebuttal.

“Why were you two going to go see the old lady?” Naruto imitated Sakura’s position, crossing his arms and leaning forward towards her. Sakura glanced at Aka before leaning close to Naruto and saying something quietly. 

“Strange?” Naruto glanced back at Aka choking softly when Sakura punched him again, pulling him back in “be quiet moron!” 

“He’s just a traveler, all of them are weird .... no weirder than anyone else, we shouldn’t assume he’s bad.” Naruto did his best to be quiet, but was still just a bit too loud. They bickered a bit more under their breaths before Naruto stood straight again. 

“Well, lets go get some ramen!” Naruto cheered to the two. Sakura was looking warily at Aka, it was obvious that she had lost this battle. 

Aka smirked internally, it seemed doing absolutely nothing was the best choice in this instance.

CHAPTER TWO END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This story takes place in shippuden and will likely have M/M F/F and F/M relationships, though that is probably the least problematic of all the content in this story. The rest of the story will be in this POV unlike the first chapter. Also, the artwork styles are going to shift often depending on my mood! Thank you for reading!


	3. MAPLE

CHAPTER THREE: MAPLE

Even though Aka was out of any imminent danger, that certainly didn’t mean that he was in the clear just yet, and if anything, he felt much more tense now that he had to deal with two shinobi... Well, shinobi or not, they were certainly trusting of him, this huge hunk of cold flesh. Though, he only really had Sakura’s trust.

Naruto eagerly led the pair to the ramen shop he would not shut up about. ‘He’s pretty annoying...but I don’t really feel that way about him...it’s strange.’ Aka followed the two shinobi quietly, not contributing to the light conversation the two Leaf ninja were holding. Sakura kept glancing at Aka, as if she had something that she wanted to say, but wouldn't let herself put it into words, only a momentary glance. She still seemed a bit defeated and irritated with the blonde boy. 

It was only once the group finally reached ‘Ichiraku Ramen’ that Naruto finally quieted down with a bowl of what was, according to him: “The best ramen in Konoha, no wait, the whole world!” Aka watched him from his seat, thinking deeply to himself again. His body slouched slightly, his head pointed forward as he slouched. ‘This Naruto could be a problem, what is it about him that makes me feel this odd illness, like my stomach is tied in knots...Is it some sort of genjutsu? Ninjutsu? I didn't see him make any hand signs....maybe he is doing it with his chakra, he did touch me earlier, only a brief touch....I could feel his warmth through my skin...through Aka’s skin...I wonder if his whole body is that warm? I’d like to feel his skin. I can picture capturing him alive, bringing him home to my workshop, I think he would squirm quite nicely on my table~’ There was a slight shift in Aka’s chest, it looked very odd, unnatural. ‘His beautiful blue eyes...I’m sure I could get his eyes right this time, the one thing I can never get right... His are so beautiful, and if I can scoop them out, I'm sure I could find a way to make them look real.’ “So pretty....” Aka mumbled softly, still facing forward. 

“Sorry?” Sakura looked at him from her place beside him, cheeks tingeing a shade of pink similar to that of her hair.

Aka’s head finally turned to her, he stopped his looking at Naruto. “What?”

“You said...something about someone being pretty?” She looked away shyly.

Aka stayed silent for a moment, seemingly staring at Sakura from behind his blindfold. “Oh...” he swallowed thickly, though his throat didn't move. It had felt like his stomach fell a foot lower into his stomach, though he knew that was physically impossible.

Naruto glanced at the pair and frowned, assuming that Aka was hitting on his childhood crush and teammate. “Hey, aren't you going to order anything....uh, what was your name?” he clicked his chopsticks rudely at Aka.

Aka, thankful for the disruption, answered quickly, which was strange as he had always taken a moment to think before speaking to either shinobi. “No, I’m not hungry...anymore.” He added the last part quickly, remembering his conversation with Sakura earlier. “My name is Kaede.” 

“Kaede? Isn’t that a girl's name?” Naruto frowned at Aka, he had been fooled before, but if this enormous guy was a girl, he would really start to question himself. Sakura shot Naruto a glare from the other side of Aka. Aka hummed lightly “It’s just my name...Naruto.” He rested his head on his hand. 

Naruto smiled at him “well  _ Kaede _ , It’s great to meet you! You should really have some ramen, you're missing out!” He went back to stuffing his face energetically. Sakura sighed at him and broke her chopsticks to start eating as well; Aka went back to facing forward, slouching as he started to think once more. 

However, his thoughts were once again quickly disrupted by the presence of another shinobi. A (relatively) tall man with silver hair and a mask casually rested a hand on his hip as he called to the trio. A pale yellow book rested in his other hand, open.

“Well, why am I not surprised to see you here Naruto.” Much like his hair, his voice was very silvery, clear and pleasant to anyone listening, even if he sounded fairly bored.

“Kakashi-sensei!” Naruto and Sakura chimed in harmony, though Naruto still had food in his mouth. Naruto choked lightly. He hit his chest lightly, swallowed heavily, and then smiled bright at his teacher. “What are you doing here, I thought you were on a mission!”

Kakashi gave a smile from behind his mask “Just got back.” He opened his eye to look at the stranger sitting between Naruto and Sakura “Uh..a friend of yours?” He closed the book he had been casually skimming. 

“Uh yeah! This is Kaede, Kaede this is Kakashi.” Naruto motioned between the two as he spoke. 

Kakashi smiled at Aka, holding his hand out “Nice to meet you Kaede.” 

Aka finally turned from his spot on the stool to get a full look of the man. Despite his lack of eyes. “Nice to meet you.” He hummed lightly. This was almost too perfect, his target just so happened to land in front of him, and the two shinobi he was with were his students. It is as if god himself were to come down and smite Kakashi for him at this point. 

He smiled internally, his dead exterior showing no signs of his excitement. He held his hand out and took Kakashi’s hand, giving it a delicate yet firm shake. This was too good.

Kakashi glanced down at their hand, eye widening in surprise as he felt the man’s hand. It was ice cold.

Sakura noticed the look on her sensei’s face and resolved to look at Aka in confusion.

After the shake, Kakashi casually dropped his hand back down to his side... Something wasn’t right here, and judging by the look on Sakura’s face, she felt the same. “Sakura,” He started, “Lady Tsunade would like to see you at the Hokage tower as soon as you're available.” Kakashi’s voice hummed with boredom. 

“Just Sakura?” Naruto frowned, looking up at his sensei, what if it was about Sasuke.

“Yeah, something about her training.” Kakashi glanced at Naruto before looking back to Sakura, who looked at him for a moment, before it seemed to click.

“Oh okay, I better get going then; Lady Tsunade gets mad if she’s kept waiting too long.” She stood and brushed her skirt off. “You’ve got the bill right Naruto?” She smiled cheekily before starting to pad off down the dirt road, not waiting for Naruto’s answer. 

“He-hey Sakura!” Naruto called after her, pouting. Sakura glanced back at him and stuck out her tongue. 

Kakashi chuckled lightly and looked back to the two men in front of him. “Well, I better be off too, lots of important things to do. So busy.” He flipped his book out of his pouch, opening it up again.

“Yeah right! You're just going to go read those pervy books like you always do!” Naruto raised his voice in annoyance. 

“Like I said, so busy.” With that, Kakashi was gone in a puff of white smoke.

Naruto Huffed at his teacher’s antics, opening up his froggy wallet and begrudgingly put some ryo onto the counter. “Thanks again old man!” He stood, waving at Ichiraku, who had begun preparing for the night's dinner rush. “Anything for my best customer!” Teuchi Smiled brightly at Naruto. 

Naruto turned to Aka, who had been more or less, silent. “You coming?” He looked at him expectantly.

Aka turned to the much smaller male “Where?” 

“I’m gonna bring you to the top of Hokage Mountain, remember?” Naruto smiled, taking a few steps out of the restaurant.

Aka stood and crouched under the banner, back into the busy street. Naruto smiled at him, he seemed very open despite not knowing Aka in the slightest. What a strange boy.

“You’re going to love it up there! It's so nice especially during the day when you can see everyone walking around!” Naruto led aka enthusiastically, not even a heavy meal had calmed the boy, if anything it seemed like he had even more energy than before. He brought Aka to the very back of the village, then up a very long stairway, secluded and dark ‘....Naruto is so trusting.’ Aka almost felt bad for the blonde, something that he hadn't felt in a very long time, not even when his targets were begging for their lives at his feet, sobbing and clinging... In fact Aka usually quite liked the feeling of seeing someone beg.... He liked watching all the hope and life drain from them as he took their lives... but even just the thought of betraying Naruto’s trust made him feel  _ Guilty _ ? Why? Why? Why? Why? It must be some sort of jutsu... it makes no sense. 

Before Aka even had a chance to do anything to Naruto, they had already reached the top of the stairway, out onto the top of the mountains. Naruto smiled big and looked at Aka with his cerulean eyes, as if to say ‘look, don't you see!’ Naruto walked over closer to the edge, looking down without fear. The wind blew his pretty blonde hair all over the place, making it messy, though it looked about the same as before.

“Isn't it great?” He looked back at Aka “Come stand over here.”

Aka emotionlessly padded over to the beautiful boy, “Yes, I see.” He hummed. 

Naruto looked at him with his big smile and sat on the rock casually “This is one of my favorite spots in the whole village,” he looked back up at Aka “wait, how can you see it, you're wearing that blindfold?”

“I just can.” Aka sat, criss-cross very straight. 

“Whaddaya mean!? That makes no sense.” He frowned, not satisfied with the given answer.

“... I can see through it, obviously.” His feelings were getting to the better of him, somehow he felt as if he really didn't want to disappoint Naruto.

“Then why do you wear it?”

“... Because my eyes are strange.”

“Strange?” Naruto perked up, trying again to see what was underneath.

“Yes.”

“Well.... erm.. Can I see?” He perked up.

Aka sighed lightly, turning his head to look at the boy “Why do you want to see so badly?” 

“You don't have to show me if you don't want to,” he pouted lightly “I just wanted to know more about you Kaede!” he smiled again at the mass of flesh.

That got Aka right in the chest. His heart felt like it was going to implode and he hated himself more and more for it. Aka sighed once more, this time it was more shaky, why did he feel this way... though.. Naruto is pretty stupid, If he showed him his eyes it might make Naruto trust him more, and he might give him some more useful information. He doubted Naruto would figure out what he was. He thought over his options once more before reaching back behind his head. 

Naruto immediately perked up, turning his whole body to look at Aka, hoping he wasn't just messing with him as his sensei always did.

Aka let the black fabric slip from his eyes, what lay underneath were eyes just as dead as the rest of his corpse. Icy blue, cold... unblinking. His eyes seemed fixed on something far off in the distance. His pupils didn't change at all in the sudden sun. They were lifeless, perhaps even more than the rest of him.

Naruto stared for a few moments, his eyes seemed to scan over every inch of Aka’s face, before he looked at Aka’s face as a whole. “So... you're blind?” He looked utterly confused, what else would make someone’s eyes look that way? A different illness? Maybe Sakura knows more...

“No.” Aka replied simply, lifting the fabric back to his eyes and tying it tightly behind his head.

Naruto looked like he had even more questions now, still just staring at Aka. It seemed as though he was thinking, something Aka assumed was impossible. Aka hummed lightly “Why are you so kind to me?” his feminine voice chimed like a Suzu bell, it seemed to be a genuine question.

“What do you mean?” Naruto was seemingly snapped out of his trance, his eyes drifted back up to where Aka’s eyes would be. 

“You stopped Sakura from forcing me to go to the Hokage, and you took me to eat with you, and also you took me to the spot that you like.” He said flatly, trying to hide the nerves he felt in his chest.

“Oh that stuff? I’m only treating you like I would treat anyone!” He smiled big “I know better than anyone what it’s like to be judged based on what other people think you are, so I figured you should have the benefit of someone getting to know you!” He chuckled lightly, as though what he had just said was the most obvious thing in the world.

Aka swallowed heavily... Such a strange boy, so kind and trusting. “Why. I could be a bad person.”

“Well... I guess that’s just a risk I'm willing to take!” He jutted his thumb into his chest, looking serious “If you always try to see the worst in everyone, then you’ll find it.” He stared at Aka, the look on his face shone with kindness and empathy but also a sincerity that Aka had never seen before.

Every person is out to achieve a goal, they walk their paths knowing nothing of others, or uncaring of others. This is something he had always believed to be true... Naruto was no exception. He must be excellent at deception. This was all an elaborate ploy to get more information out of Aka surely. ‘Don’t be stupid, that's what it always was.’

“Kaede?” Naruto touched his arm lightly.

‘It’s Naruto who is stupid, what an obvious plan. I’ll play along, and in turn use him for what  _ I _ want. The worst in people? There are no good human beings.’

“Kaede??!” Naruto shook his arm a bit rougher.

Aka twitched up from his slouched position into an upright sitting position. “Sorry what?” 

“I asked if there was anywhere else you wanted to see in the village...are..you okay?” He raised a brow at his new friend, something he had decided when Aka talked about being a bad person.

“Oh,” he sighed, starting to feel hot as he realized that Naruto was touching him. He quickly shoved those feelings down, covering it with his hate. “Well, I don’t know the village that well, I always just stay in the inn and leave town afterwards.” A lie.

“Well, in that case,” Naruto stood, extending a hand out to Aka, “We better hurry, there's tons of great places we gotta get to before the day is over!” He smiled down at Aka.

Aka stood on his own, his heart racking against his ribs. He felt...sick. He felt as though his body and mind were at odds with each other. Every time he looked at Naruto, he felt this warmth, something he hadn't felt in years; on the other hand, he had to keep reminding himself that Naruto is the enemy... you can’t trust anyone but yourself or you will suffer not only heartbreak, but a most painful death. It is better that he get this bounty over with and quickly. ‘I’ll kill Kakashi and then Naruto...his eyes aren't that special. I will find another, though, his body will make good material. The only thing that matters is my work.’ Aka decided quickly.

Naruto led them around the village just as he said he would, pointing out the various buildings, houses of his friends, the aviary, hot springs... and even the best places to eat around town, though according to him nothing could ever beat Ichiraku ramen, so “Kaede” would definitely have to try it next time. 

Just as the sun was setting they stopped at another training ground. “-And finally.....the best training ground in all of Konoha!” Naruto put his hands on his hips as he looked around.

“Why is this one special?” Aka spoke, devoid of any enthusiasm. But, Naruto had gotten used to that by now, it was similar to how Shino spoke anyway, except Kaede didn’t creep him out as much.

“Because this is the team seven training ground, where me and my squad started training.” He smiled fondly at the plain field, he strolled over to the three wooden posts sticking out of the ground. “This is where we first became a team...” he trailed off, thinking about the bell test and...Sasuke.

“Your squad?” Aka prodded, hoping to learn more about his sensei in particular. He stood still a bit away from Naruto.

Naruto jerked a bit out of his thoughts “Y-yeah! There’s me, Sakura, Kakashi-sensei, and my best friend Sasuke.” He stared off at the pole again.

“Oh, it must be difficult having such a lazy sensei.” Aka prodded him again.

“Kakashi-sensei? Eh, he’s always late but I wouldn't exactly call him lazy... He’s really strong, always beating us in sparring.” Naruto hummed in thought, still facing the posts “Even Sasuke could never best him,” 

“Really?” Aka tilted his head to the side “With his book, I assumed he would be more of a hands-off sensei.”

“No, he’s super strong, especially when he uses his sharingan.”  _ There it was _ . Naruto put a hand on his chin and thought “I wonder if Sasuke could beat him now...” 

“Huh.” Aka said monotonously. ‘So Kakashi has a sharingan. I’ll be sure to be extra cautious then, though I'm sure I could trick him easily enough. These Leaf ninja are always such slaves to their emotions in battle~’ “Hey, Naruto.”

“Yeah?” He smiled at Aka.

“Thanks, you’ve proven to be very useful.”

“Eh?” He looked behind him, up at Aka, confused “wha-”

Aka roughly slammed the back of Naruto’s neck with his hand. “Poor fool..”

CHAPTER THREE: MAPLE END


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